You can reclaim some things and cannot reclaim others. In a world of self-sufficiency, being told you can’t do something likely doesn’t sit well with you. Yet no one person can do everything, and there is one thing you cannot do on your own no matter how hard you try. You cannot reclaim yourself.

One of the definitions of reclaim reflects a rescue from an undesirable place or condition. That’s just where you will encounter a problem. You cannot get yourself out of a pit. You might not even realize you’re in a pit. You’ve been in it so long that it’s all you know, or you’ve made it so comfortable that you have little or no motivation to leave it. Even if you want to crawl out of the pit, how can you defy gravity to the higher elevation of ground level? It might seem like a despairing situation, but there’s a plan. It’s God’s plan, and all you have to do is let him reclaim you. In fact, he already has. He’s extended his hand into the pit, but you have to reach out to him.

Even if you reached out to God years ago and are unable to recall a time you didn’t have a relationship with him, you likely have areas of your life which you need him to reclaim. You regularly visit a pit, which you thought was not a big deal, because at first, you just played in the ground a bit. Then you dug just a little deeper and a little deeper until you were actually in over your head. Trudging back and forth from that pit is exhausting you.

Perhaps you have a pit someone dug for you. You were thrown in. Or you fell in with no intention. Whatever the reason for the pit, it’s a pit. It’s preventing you from walking on level ground, the ground God intends for you to claim and journey. In order for you to claim what God has planned, you’ll need to trust him to reclaim you first. Today is a good day.

Dig Into God’s Word…

God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17-17)

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his robe with long sleeves and threw him into the well. It was empty, and there was no water in it. While Joseph was in the well, the brothers sat down to eat. When they looked up, they saw a group of Ishmaelites traveling from Gilead to Egypt. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and hide his death? Let’s sell him to these Ishmaelites. Then we will not be guilty of killing our own brother. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” And the other brothers agreed.

… So Joseph said to them, “Come close to me.” When the brothers came close to him, he said to them, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold as a slave to go to Egypt. Now don’t be worried or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. God sent me here ahead of you to save people’s lives.” (Genesis 37:23-27;45:4-5)

No one can buy back the life of another. No one can pay God for his own life. (Psalm 49:7)

Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it. (Hebrews 4:16)

Live It Out Loud…

Make a fist with one hand and extend the arm with the closed fist straight in front of you. Without moving your body—just your arm—watch how far your fist extends. While still extending your arm, open your fist. Notice how much farther the simple act of opening your hand extends your reach. Nothing is beyond God’s reach. Pay attention to how you’re receiving him. Keeping your hands close to yourself might be comfortable but not very helpful in reaching out to God. Reaching with a clenched fists limits your reach as well as what can be placed in your hand. Stretch yourself for God with every millimeter you have.